Discover the REAL Santorini with our Tourbokser, Jin!

Discover the REAL Santorini with our Tourbokser, Jin!

Let me try to picture what you are thinking: a blue domed church that perfectly matches the blue sky… In other words: you instantly thought of Santorini, am I right?

When in Greece, you HAVE TO visit Santorini. Santorini has been voted as one of the top romantic destinations in the world and we wanted to ask one of our Tourboksers to tell us her opinion about the island.

Jin is from Korea and she visited Santorini July 2018. Let’s see what her thoughts were:

1). Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Jin, a Korean girl currently exploring Europe. I have been living in Athens for some months now, so I visited Santorini for holidays.

2). When did you visit Santorini and for how long did you stay there?

I visited Santorini for three days, in July 2018. During my stay in Santorini, I decided to go on a Santorini Volcano Cruise, I found at Tourboks.

3). Tell us about the tour you took: how the day was, step by step – what did you do, what did the tour include etc

I booked the tour after I arrived in Santorini. My arrival to the airport was around 7:20 and the meeting was at 9:20. We went to the hotel by the local bus and still had plenty of time. (Although we walked around 1km from the bus stop to the hotel). We were picked up at the hotel and went to the pier. At the pier, we met our tour guide and we went on board. Our guide, Kimo was so friendly and kind, and I was impressed with how considerate he was while introducing the island. He made the tour more joyful.

First, we went hiking to the volcanic island. We went to swim in a very nice area, and we moved to another island for lunch and free time. Our trip was over at around 5pm.

I was a bit worried since I am not very good at swimming, but the staff on board took such a good care of me so I actually was able to enjoy swimming. The trip back to the hotel was included, but we got off in the middle of the way since we wanted to ride the donkeys. Oia and Pira are villages located on the cliff and we rode a donkey from the bottom to the top of the cliff. I recommend you guys to try riding a donkey!

4) How was the boat trip to the volcano?

Before I visited Santorini, I was told that it is a beautiful island. While browsing on Tourboks.com, I got to know that it is a volcanic island. Being there, is such an amazing experience to be on an island with hot steams and exotic scenery.

5). How was the hike at the volcano?

I recommend other people to wear comfortable shoes. It is not a tough course, but the sunlight is pretty strong, so I would suggest visitors to wear sunblock. And you can feel the steam from the volcano in some part of the island. While walking around the island, there are so nice views of the sea. The guide was very lively and friendly. He was speaking in English and German in sequence.

6). How was bathing at a volcano's hot springs? Is it really relaxing and reviving?

The hot spa was a bit different from what I expected. It was pretty relaxing and I loved it there.

7). How was the walk at Thirasia after the volcano visit?

We had free-time and lunch at Thirasia, which was cheaper than being in a restaurant at Santorini, and delicious. Since it was after trekking, we finished all of the food and desserts. We had some time nearby the port and it was good to be there. I would recommend visitors to go to the top of the village.

8). What did you like the most about this tour?

I liked everything! But if I should choose one thing, what I liked the most was the beer after swimming. It was cheap and the taste was really good. The good news is, we had the restroom on board.

9). Did you learn anything interesting during this tour? What is the most impressive fact you have learnt?

Because of the volcanic eruption, the shape of the island has changed. I was very curious to know how it looked before the eruption.

10). Overall, would you recommend someone to go to Santorini?

Of course. I do want to visit Santorini again. But you should be aware of the hot weather there. If I would visit Santorini again it would be during the spring or fall season.

11). What would you recommend someone doing in Santorini (your own favorite top 3 or top 5)?

I stayed in Pira and visited Oia from there, which was a good decision. Oia is more beautiful village, but it is more expensive and more crowded. And another thing I recommend is to book a good hotel with a swimming pool. During the day time, we enjoyed swimming at the pool, and we could enjoy the beautiful sunset from our hotel. Riding a donkey was another unforgettable experience. They might not listen to your direction well, but they would never hurt you. Also I would definitely recommend taking the volcanic tour, otherwise, you would not feel that Santorini is a real volcanic island.

12) Any other tips you want to give to fellow travelers in regards to Santorini?

The local bus was running frequently, so it was convenient to go to Oia from Pira and to get to the airport. But there are many people waiting for the bus, so you better go early. It would also be good to avoid summer high season.